Welcome to the third continuous installment of the AoKH AI Scripting Ladder, now supporting Userpatch for the first time. Here you can enter your AI to compete against AIs with a wide range of abilities and a huge range of strategies. Whether it's to improve your AI's skill or whether you want to enjoy the exciting fun and community it provides, the Userpatch AI scripting ladder will suit your needs.

The Userpatch (UP) is a community patch that provides enormous benefits to the game, allowing AIs to become exponentially more intelligent, among others. Click here to download the patch and learn about everything the Userpatch can do! You'll find many scripters here who are more than willing to help you learn how to script and how to use the new UP commands.

Also, if you enjoy scripting, you should join the AI scripters community at http://forums.aiscripters.com/. You can also find a guide to AI scripting here and a guide to the new UP commands here.

How Do I Join?

If you want to enter the ladder, just drop a post in the thread with a link to your AI, tell us what civ you want it to play, and your AI will be added to the ladder.

When you enter your AI, it will play four unrated games against different opponents and given a rating based on its performance. Once your AI has been given a rating, your AI is ready to enter round play and climb up the ladder.

New: Each forummer can only have one AI in the ladder at any time.

How Does the Ladder Work?

Like multiplayer ladders, the AI ladder determines an AI script's overall skill ability over the course of several games and compares the skill ratings of other AIs to each other.

The AI Ladder uses the ELO system, the same system used to rank chess players or players on online gaming sites such as Voobly. The ladder is run in rounds with each AI grouped in a league of (ideally) five AIs according to ability. During each round, each AI will play each other AI in its league twice. The winning AI's score in each match will be increased according to its opponent's score, either a large amount if the AI defeated a higher ranked opponent or a smaller amount if the AI defeated a lower ranked opponent. The losing AI's score is decreased in the same way. Once the round is over, a new one begins, creating continuous cycles of competitive fun.

To make things more interesting, we randomize between Arabia, Ghost Lake, Gold Rush, Mongolia, Oasis, and Yucatan. To facilitate the randomization, you can download the official AI Ladder random map randomizer to test your AI and to test matches: link

AI Classes:

New: All AIs are divided into leagues according to ability, with ideally 5 AIs in each league. The leagues are reorganized at the end of each round to re-sort the AIs into the leagues by ability.

If an AI is the lowest-ranked AI, has at least 75 points lower than every other AI, and has lost at least three games in a row, the AI will likely be dropped unless the author requests the AI to remain in the ladder.

Game Requests:

New: Requested games no longer count for score, but they can be requested nevertheless.

Previous AI Ladders:

In addition, for those who like a bit of nostalgia, you can find the previous installments of the AI scripting ladder here:

Anyone can judge any of the games in the AI ladder, and judges do not have to sign up for a game before playing it. However, you may make a post in the thread if you wish to reserve a game to judge. Those who are willing to judge and record these games, please post for which games you would like to play. Authors should not judge games that contain their own AI. All games should be played on Hard difficulty, tiny map, 200 pop, Dark Age, low resources, and Conquest victory. The current version of the Userpatch (version 1.4) and the official randomizer map script should be used. Games will be considered a draw if they last more than two hours, unless an AI has less than 2 villagers at the two hour mark. Thus, you can end the game after two hours if you wish.

It is recommended that the judges cheat "natural wonders" so that there is no possibility of interference from the judge. However, if you feel that this would hamper your ability to review the game you may opt not to do this, as long as you provide the recorded game.

If you decide to use Cheat Engine's speedhack feature, please limit your games to x5 speed on Slow speed or x3 speed on Fast speed, unless one AI has clearly won the game and you want to speed up the "cleaning up" process. Any faster speedhack is prone to mess up AI functionality on slower computers.

Once the game is finished, please write a short review of the game. Provide helpful comments on what were each AI's weak points so that the authors of the scripts can know how to update them. Also post the recorded game link along with the review. To make it easier for us to gather information from the reviews, please post the reviews of the games in this format (just copy it into your post and edit it):

AI #1 (Civilization) vs. AI #2 (Civilization)

Map: Arabia (or whatever map is chosen)

1 Jan, 2013 (this date is just an example of the format)Map Type: Mongolia (or whatever map is chosen)

Review:

.........

Winner: (AI Name)Recorded Game link

Thanks for judging and reviewing! Here is the current schedule. Sign up for the games you would like to play:

Season 2

Round 4

Entrance Games:

1.

Entering AI:-

vs.

Opponents:-

Results:-

Cavaliers League:

AIs:BarbarianPromiJuggernautThe Horde

Round W-L4-00-40-22-0

vs. BarbarianxLLLL--

vs. PromiWWx--WW

vs. JuggernautWW--x--

vs. The Horde--LL--x

Knights League:

AIs:TRONDaedricIlluminatiCrusadeIS Machine

Round W-L2-23-34-21-32-2

vs. TRONxLWWL----

vs. DaedricWLxWL--WL

vs. IlluminatiLWLWxLL--

vs. Crusade----WWxLW

vs. IS Machine--LW--WLx

Squires League:

AIs:Tribal WarriorsBruteForceBossMeleonThe Unknown

Round W-L2-00-40-44-24-0

vs. Tribal WarriorsxLL------

vs. BruteForceWWx--WW--

vs. Boss----xWWWW

vs. Meleon--LLLLxWW

vs. The Unknown----LLLLx

~`o´~|\Join the fresh and exciting AI Ladder for its fourth season!´ ` |_\|Learn the joy of AI scripting in my guide: The World of AI Scripting______|______ \ /.....Hinga Dinga Durgen! - SpongeBob`-=<.__.>=-´

It is a so weird game.The-unkonwn selected FC-ish,and reach castle-age with 35 peole, and build three TC fast,gather four relics very good,but no barraks,no archery-range,no stable,only monks. At this time,Nightmare start harry(yes,harry,not attack,and too late.) enemy with feudal-age soldier,but milatary amount is fewer,nightmare resist this only use monks,whose economy is damaged by enemy's harry,but this three TCs help much more with arrow enemy along villager inside,and Nightmare not use retreat rule when arrowed by TC.In thus state The_unkonwn reached imp-age at last,and start build archery range ,barraks etc. More and more soldier trained start attack Nightmare,who now still stay in feudal-age(Because Nightmare build only one mining-camp which is build in The_unkown's town-center!!!), till resign.

Barbarian attacked Crusade in Feudal Age with some skirmishers,but failed.Crusade used swordsmen to defend,Then Crusade attacked Barbarian using flushing with swordsmen archers and scout cavalries,but it's late,Barbarian already in Castle Age.Barbarian is very strong in late time,if early time don't beat him,late time will be very difficult.It's true,Barbarian trained many Crossbowmen Skirmishers and attacked,first time failed,but second time more Crossbowmen Elite Skirmishers and ram successfully entered Crusade's town.After Barbarian reached Imperial Age,the result is clear,but Crusade always no gg,so Barbarian attacked all his construction.

Khanate decides to do a 5-militia drush and IS_Machine trains some defensive militias at dark age against it and simply drops the first mining camp to nearby middle gold. Since ISM's scout misses some sheep (it could have sent the scout to sheep, though, since atleast one was visible) and ISM doesn't hunt either of the boars, the economy isn't prepared for this, and ISM still keeps training militias even after the attack is over, leading to 20:54 feudal age time. Meanwhile Khanate reaches feudal age at 15:17 and castle age shortly after ISM's feudaling.

ISM attacks Khanate with man-at-arms once it hits feudal age but retreats quickly. It also builds too many mining camps to the middle gold so early. Khanate booms and trains mostly monks.

ISM doesn't attack and is left behind in boom war. Khanate adds eagle warrios and hits imperial at 35:04 with a large army of monks. Khanate quickly rolls over ISM.

Notes for ISM:-Dark age was very messy.-Army composition was mostly a-bit-of-everything. It can't afford upgrading all those units and the army becomes ineffective.

Boss (Full Random => Goths) vs. Dreadnought (Full Random => Persians)

Map Type: Ghost Lake

Boss' main gold is located unluckily between two forests and it doesn't manage to place mining camp well. Dreadnought FCs and trains some knights while Boss does its usual defensive flush.

Both AIs boom a bit until Boss attacks with mainly pikemen and elite skirmishers. Dreadnought seems to fall behind, but since Boss is too eager to retreat, lacks siege and doesn't manage to hit economy properly, Dreadnought's TC is able to kill most of Boss' pikemen while knights can hold Boss' skirmishers despite having notably lower numbers.

Dreadnought hits imperial age while being under attack but it doesn't have proper army, only some knights, scorpions and elite skirmishers, and Boss starts to be too much ahead in economy. Finally Boss' trash army outnumbers Dreadnought too badly and the defence falls.

Notes for both AIs:-More builders could be assigned for TCs to get villagers out faster.

Notes for Dreadnought:-Too high camp-max-distance at early game; a mining camp was placed on Boss' stone. Later it also built a lumber camp in opposite corner even though there was a lot of wood nearby.-Research and build order was messy. Fore example it built an archery range early but didn't use it and took ballistics for nothing at 28min and masonry at 29min before any upgrade for knights.

Notes for Boss:-Too much skirmishers against knight-based army.-UP's offense/defense priorities could be used to target army against important buildings while attacking.

[This message has been edited by John the Late (edited 09-07-2013 @ 06:08 AM).]

Leif EricsonSeraph Emeritus

posted
09-07-13 10:24 AM
CT (US)
162 / 1174

New round!

~`o´~|\Join the fresh and exciting AI Ladder for its fourth season!´ ` |_\|Learn the joy of AI scripting in my guide: The World of AI Scripting______|______ \ /.....Hinga Dinga Durgen! - SpongeBob`-=<.__.>=-´

cakemaphoneigeSquire

posted
09-07-13 10:47 AM
CT (US)
163 / 1174

steel vs barbie

Game Speed: 4x CE/slow

Cake>: barbie gets britons, steel gets chineseCake>: not a bad matchupCake>: yucatan Cake>: stage is set for a good gameCake>: steel has full fledged farming on yucatan lolCake>: 8 farmsScottish_Hero>: Doh.Cake>: barbie goes castle drop, castle up at 19.10ishCake>: steel goes fc and what looks to be a krushCake>: krush with a few monksCake>: steel attacks, too much defence for it to do anything specialCake>: barbie looks to be retaliating immediatelyCake>: lbowsCake>: monks and spearmanCake>: steel has its cavalry garrisoned, the attack arrives, steel unleashes the unitsII2N>: oh, is a new round already up? Cake>: only for them to be eaten or convertedCake>: yeah manII2N>: 2.13f is finefenris>: hmm...one could spectate these II2N>: haven't done that much changes yetII2N>: and some would only affect TGsCake>: barbie has thisCake>: forward castle for barbie, steels main tc is downII2N>: nice Cake>: game is all but over lolII2N>: I could judge something tooII2N>: Horde vs Promi is an interesting matchup, I'll do thatfenris>: open for spectating!Cake>: steel resignsCake>: game time 40.01

Boss tries to hunt boar and deer at the same time, which causes problems at boar hunting since support villagers fail to come, and the lurer almost dies.

ISM goes for a fast flush, but since the troops have to walk a long way, Boss has time to train defensive units.

Both AIs advance to castle age, and soon ISM attacks again without success and retreats. Boss manages to pick 4 of 5 relics. After some time ISM tries once again and after being forced to retreat Boss counterattacks. However ISM's mangonels turn out very effective against Boss' grouped crossbowmen.

ISM is first to reach imperial age, and it immediately uses its advantage and starts to push Boss and seems to get upper hand, being 2500 points ahead at one point. But Boss hits imperial age as well, and despite being partly hurt it gets quickly fully upgraded arbalests which keep picking ISM's soldiers.

Boss frees itself from ISM's attack and starts a long siege on ISM, splitting some units to the other side causing some problems to ISM. Slowly ISM falls.

The Khanate's economy is best in dark-age,and reach to feudal-age with 22 people.In feudal-age,Kha try to builda forward-Watch-tower to limit the development of Crusade,but a little late,at this time Crusade has updated to Feudal-age and train several military and found the builder,and the attempt failed.After some time Crusade flush without retreat rules,failed too.and both start to boom. Crusade attck Kha once he reached castle-age ,at this time,Kha just start to update castle-age,so Kha's soldier is weak of arming and hard to resist that.After a while crushde train knight added in battle. But it is strange that KHA train many knights in stable and keep inside,does not release in spite of town-under-attack,thus too many villager be killed by Crusade's soldiers till resign.

The Unknown did a nice 17:16 fast castle age with goths despite losing a villager very very early to a boar and decided to go for LSM immediately.Dreadnought castled a bit later and then immediately trained lots of cavalry archers and attacked.That's basically it, i wish i could say more about this game but it really was just that simple - the LSM couldn't even hit those cav archers once (at least not when i looked).

It is a laggy game,even Nightmare have time to research bomb-tower and build that.Game start,Nightmare build a lumber-camp whose location is very good of surrounded by woods.In late feudal-age,NM train twenty soldiers to attack IS ,but failed for a late time point.Both updated to fastle-age ,and IS's economy is better than NM for more TCs. After some time ,IS attack NM with much soldier ,and NM build a castle which help much to kill many IS's soldier,and NM train cataphract soldier which killed many rams. Both stayed in castle-age too long time till 1h22m,IS reach imp and at this time ,almost all the gold is consumed in castle-age. Becourse of too many resource wasted in castle-age,in the late imp,IS can not resist attacking of NM.little by little,IS is worse in military affiars.till resign.

Barbarian attacked The Horde in Castle Age,didn't wait Imperial Age,which in this map seems very early.A lot of soliders and forward castle make The Horde unhappy....The battle in The Horde's town made him poor eco,at last he lost.

Game start 4m50s,Unfairsteel send his scout steal a boar successfully. After reached feudal-age,US attack Cru with some soldier along two villager to build forward watdh-tower(I hate this!),It is luck for US to build this WT beside Cru's gold-mine-camp successfully. And thus serious limited the economy developing of Cru. In this battle ,US almost win the game but he selected retreat all his soldiers,and boom .Till the game over ,Cru's economy is worse than US. At the late of the game,US build thirty bomb-tower at least!(I think he prefer to build a Wonder but it is forbidden!)

The Khanate built three houses right off the bat and went for a lumbercamp first which didn't seem too bad. He also prepared a drush while Boss seemed to realize that and trained 2 militias for defense. Boss then arrived in the feudal age at 12:40Khanate seemed to have scouting issues and thus sent his three drush militias very late: They arrived at 16:30 not dealing any damage anymore since Boss was prepared. Shortly after Khanate arrived to the feudal age.Khanate quickly advanced to the castle-age afterwards while Boss stayed in feudal for a few more minutes. In the castle-age Khanate seemed to be booming with knights while boss trained spears and x-bows.At 31 minutes Boss attacked with spears (you badly needed the pikeman upgrade here) and x-bows versus a pure knight army. Boss quickly realized he couldn't win the fight and retreated again, with Khanate chasing him and counterattacking. For a moment it looked like Khanate would win here but Boss's spears with good x-bow support somehow managed to kill those knights after some time and counterattacked himself now.From here on out Boss was in a superior position and slowly managed to take Khanate down.Was a close game and nice to watch, gg.

Winner: BossGame time: 00:59:29

Rec uploaded at aiscripters so lws doesn't get any complications downloading it.

I'd suggest lws to use more builders for castles and town-centers (for example (defrule(true)=>(up-assign-builders c: town-center-foundation c: 3)(up-assign-builders c: castle c: 3)(disable-self)) will let all future town-centers and castles be built with 3 builders. You can change these values back later if you want.).

Cake>: promi gets aztecs, dreadnought has koreansCake>: mongolia mapPromi>: kk ^^Cake>: promi hunts some deer that are around 20 odd tiles awayCake>: maybe bit morePromi>: oh yeah, usually only after the boar though and if he didn't lure itCake>: yeah it tried to lure some deer, didnt get them very far thoughCake>: promi hits feudal at 11.53Cake>: 2 ranges straight upPromi>: niceCake>: dreadnought gets 13.40 ish feudalCake>: promi launchesCake>: perfectly hits dreadnoughts stone minersCake>: dreadnought is losing alot of villsCake>: it could be gg allreadyCake>: tower up for promiCake>: forward Promi>: niceCake>: oh dreadnought sneeks a forward tower back, its way off promi's town but if it gets caught by the tsa it could hurt promiCake>: just as i say that dreadnought resignsCake>: game time 20.15

while testing some games vs Khanate I was quite surprised about the fact that neglegting feudal eco for fast attack results in better position because the disturbing of enemy's eco is far more severe. Interesting.

so here we are:

Chameleon choosed a camel/monk strat, so far I was able to see, but never got anything up since Spanish attacked about 18th minute under the shelter of a tower and nicely kept his attackers away from the dangerous TC arrows.Pausing for castle age and oh (!) 35 min imperial with a booming in accordance, so reaching 200 pop in good 40 min gave the saracens not a spark of hope to establish any countable defense.hajoo - well done offwo !

heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned (William Congreve)

[This message has been edited by The Ruler (edited 09-14-2013 @ 10:38 AM).]

II2NSquire

posted
09-14-13 11:12 AM
CT (US)
192 / 1174

The Horde (Full Random => Franks) vs. Crusade (Full Random => Aztecs)

Map Type: Arabia

Horde has a little difficulties at finding food early and is forced to loom somewhat quickly. It also doesn't have very good wood, and builds the first and second lumber camp far.

Crusade flushes and trains men-at-arms and sends couple of villagers forward to build a tower. Meanwhile Horde prepares to FC and knights. Crusade's flush hits Horde's mill and a few villagers die trying to finish a farm. Since Crusade doesn't retreat, most men-at-arms die to the town center.

After Crusade adds spearmen Horde's knights have problems, but to counter those and Crusade's archers Horde builds a siege workshop and trains a scorpion and a mangonel.

Horde's scorpions prove themselves efficient in defence against spearmen and crossbows, but eventually the numbers grow too large and Horde starts to fall. H

orde tries to mass units inside buildings and break Crusade's siege, and manages to pull a nice attempt, but the economy is too hurt to make it a comeback.

Notes for Crusade:-Not-so-good research order: Iron casting was the first castle age research for spearmen and chain mail second. Pikeman should have more priority.

The_Unknown (Full Random => Spanish) vs Nightmare (Byzantines)

Map Type: Mongolia

The_Unknown is unlucky with boar hunting since the boar goes back, and the lurer dies after trying again.

The_Unknown goes for a scout rush and Nightmare gets stuck at feudal age, not building anything but a tower and houses. The_Unknown scouts die to TC and it bugs a little too and has dancing forward villagers for a while until they go to raze Nightmare's tower. After this Nightmare manages to place a barracks and gets rid of bugging.

The_Unknown advances to castle age and drops a castle and a couple of town centers. It attacks Nightmare who has problems at countering the conquistadors. While still being under attack Nightmare sends rams to attack The_Unknown and destroys a monastery, a town center and some farms, but the ram rush doesn't carry further than that and falls to The_Unknowns castle.

Nightmare's economy is badly hurt and it can't resist any more after The_Unknowns brings light cavalry and rams forward.

UnfairSteel builded a castle on the way between 2 town,which only narrow way or water.A good position,this made promi not attack UnfairSteel until imperial age,but in imperial age UnfairSteel was better eco and power,so lost soon.

DN selected FC-ish,and IS selected Feudal flush,In spite of DN reached castl-age first,but it is too weak in military affairs and only several knights to resisted IS's much military,and build a castle which is not luck build backward. At 40m Is's rams added in the war,it is over for DH.

Others:

1. I think the rule (set-strategic-number sn-percent-building-cancellation X) is a bug which should be forbidden because in spite that you find enemy's forward-watch-tower(maybe is castle) is building in battlefield and you send soldiers to attack the builders,but the building still be builded successfully,it is absurd and abnormal!

2.It is better if all land map added in (UP) RLM.rms such as black-forest,ARENA-MAP,FORTRESS-MAP etc.

I know samoer has already judged this game - but I found out during my judging so I guess I post this sort of making an example that we need to really verify what games are taken before judging. Especially now when the ladder is this active. No offence samoer!

Promi (Franks) vs UnfairSteel (Japanese) on Arabia

UnfairSteel tried several times to attack Promi in Castle but Promi had a really nice defensive map and all the attacks were fought off without any considerable lossesThus Promi gained in strenght by ever attack really.Early Imperial age Promi finished off Steel with one (the only) attack.

either we agree for game reservation and a posting within 24 hsor we take the 1st posting of the game ( no reservation)for me I don't care as long all do the same

@fenry: is ok

heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned (William Congreve)

[This message has been edited by The Ruler (edited 09-15-2013 @ 09:19 AM).]

PromiskuitivSquire

posted
09-15-13 08:21 AM
CT (US)
200 / 1174

I wouldn't mind getting a loss for this though at least for the future i'd like to have the game reservation method taking priority over someone just judging the game after someone already reserved it. The game reservation's purpose is to prevent several people judging the same game.Only have internet on my phone right now so i can't judge games until next weekend. Thx for judging everyone and GG Eel either way!